1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tungsten jewelry resurfacing kit for consumer end use and tungsten resurfacing compound used therein.
2. Background Information
Wearing jewelry is a form of personal adornment nearly as old as man. Some beads have been found dating back 100,000 years. Examples of common jewelry are rings, necklaces, ear rings, bracelets and watches. Jewelry has been made out of many rare and not so rare metals such as gold, silver, tin, pewter, platinum, stainless steel, titanium, and tungsten. Jewelry is often adorned with beads, gemstones, or multiple metals to make it more appealing.
There are a number of reasons why people wear jewelry. Wealth, fashion, symbolism, and protection are just a few. In many cultures, when a man and woman marry, they exchange rings, necklaces, or bracelets to symbolize their love and commitment for each other.
As mentioned, jewelry can be made from a number of different substances. As technology and fabrication techniques have improved over the years, so has the types of available metals. One of these metals, tungsten, also known as tungsten carbide, tungsten cobalt, and tungsten nickel (but can be any alloy containing a majority of tungsten) has become quite popular in the recent years.
Tungsten is very hard and rates on the Mohs hardness scale of 9, making it virtually scratch proof. Tungsten jewelry is commonly an alloy of around 85% tungsten and 15% other metals. Tungsten by itself is prone to shattering and generally these other metals are used to change the tensile strength of the overall jewelry so that it does not shatter and is easier to form in the desired shapes. Tungsten jewelry has a silvery color but can be made into different colors such as black or white by the addition of certain chemicals and metals or through various chemical processes. Once tungsten jewelry is formed, it will not bend and cannot be effectively reshaped or resized.
Both tungsten have gained increasing popularity as metals used in jewelry, such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, watch bands, watch cases and any number of other jewelry items. These items are sometimes marketed as non-tarnishing, however for a variety of reasons these items actually do become tarnished. Tungsten jewelry, such as most commonly rings, will last a lifetime if properly cared for. Like silver, tungsten is a metal which can and does tarnish. Tungsten itself does not tarnish with contact to the oxygen in the air, like silver, but instead tarnishes through contact with chemicals from daily life such as hand lotions, soaps, and food. Chemicals in the air from smog and pollution also play a small role, which allows tarnish to build up over time.
It is actually the other metals (or elements) other than tungsten in “tungsten” jewelry that is undergoing the substantial tarnishing, but the effect on the piece is the same. The tarnish on a tungsten ring is a very hard patchy dull matte gray. Scratches may also appear and be visible. Once the other metals start to break down, the tungsten jewelry develops an unattractive darkening of the metal. Eventually this metal will begin to decay, rust, and oxidize and fall out of the surface of the jewelry leaving behind small pits and groves in the ring. These pits, groves, and overall darkening of the metal cause light to scatter instead of reflect which results in dull jewelry. Further, because the tungsten metal portion of the ring is hard, it usually remains and creates a very gagged and non-shiny jewelry surface which affects the feel of the jewelry. It can be compared to a very fine sand paper. At this point, the jewelry is blotchy and molted grey with no shine or luster and definitely not what the purchaser of the jewelry envisioned. This tarnishing can happen very quickly, such as in a few months, or take time and occur over a few years.
There are very little commercially available, practical solutions for owners of such jewelry for returning these jewelry pieces to their original lustrous condition. Owners of tungsten jewelry often attempt to take their jewelry to jewelers for repair. As tungsten is nearly as hard as diamond, the typical jeweler cannot repair the jewelry as they are only set up to work on jewelry containing softer metals such as gold, silver, and platinum which rate around a 4-5 on the Mohs scale. Owners of tungsten jewelry are often told to accept the defects as “character” and jewelers even go as so far as to try to sell a new product made of a different metal. In an attempt to circumvent unhappy customers, most, if not all tungsten retailers have warranties that allow the purchaser to swap their jewelry for new jewelry should anything go wrong with the product. However, this warranty often requires the purchaser to pay a “service fee” of around $50 plus shipping both ways. As the tungsten jewelry will always degrade, the purchaser is stuck in an endless loop of paying the service fee and shipping costs to keep their jewelry looking how they were originally intended and as originally marketed. Sometimes the jewelry has a sentimental value such as a wedding ring. The purchaser does not want to have the ring replaced because it will be a different ring. It would therefore be advantageous if the ring could be refurbished.
The tarnish and unsightly nature of such jewelry can be very disconcerting for the owners, particularly where the ring is symbolic of a special relationship such as an engagement ring or a wedding ring. In these situations a damaged ring can even lead to unwanted problems extending far beyond the minor annoyance of a piece of tarnished jewelry. For example, one partner may take issue with, or misconstrue the reasons for, another partner's not wearing the unsightly, tarnished, symbolic ring; or, more humorously, one partner may take offense at another's joking about its condition, e.g., “Honey, it is now a symbol of our tainted love.” In these situations there is a need for repair of the tarnished ring in an easy, prompt manner at the consumer level, and the need extends far beyond the value of specific jewelry.
It is an object of the present invention to minimize the drawbacks of the existing technology and to provide a tungsten jewelry resurfacing kit for consumer end use and tungsten resurfacing compound used therein.